View full size Barbara Vybiralova opened a commercial kitchen in Beaverton with help from her partner, Mirek Fejfar. The Czech Republic native also cooks and sells her Bohemian goodies at three farmers markets in the area. Ross William Hamilton/The Oregonian

Barbara Vybiralova's friends begged for her potato salad.

They told the Czech Republic native her magic mix – potatoes, mayonnaise, ham, onions, mustard and other spices –was so good she should open a restaurant.

She decided to take an alternative route by starting her own commercial kitchen in Beaverton. She uses the kitchen to make Bohemian goodies for local farmers markets and rents it to other chefs during her cooking downtown.

"At first I was hesitant, because your friends have to be complimentary," she says of launching the business. "But then we decided just to go for it."

Vybiralova learned to cook homemade food from her parents and uses family recipies. She runs her business, Bohemian Gourmet Food, with her partner of 11 years, Mirek Fejfar, 43. They have a three-year-old son, Christopher. She opened the 1,000-square-foot licensed commercial kitchen in 2011.

The kitchen, at 8045 S.W. Nimbus Ave., has Blodgett convection ovens, three work tables, fridges, mixers and storage spaces. It allows Vybiralova, 37, to make her food in bulk for the three farmers markets where she sells her fare –Beaverton,Orenco Station and Hillsboro –while also helping other culinary entrepreneurs get their businesses started.

The space was vacant until the couple custom-built it for the business. It's one of the few commercial kitchens in the area.

Vybiralova says with a laugh that their move to the U.S. was a mistake. She and Fejfar originally planned to go to New Zealand in 2003 but decided to visit friends in Los Angeles at the last minute. They ended up staying for three years, living off profits from a clothing shop the duo owned in Prague, their hometown.

While they still own the shop from afar, their attention is mainly on culinary pursuits these days. Vybiralova has always been creative and crafty. As a young adult, she worked as a goldsmith and made jewelry for a company in Prague.

After their time in Los Angeles, she and Fejfar moved back to the Czech Republic for a little while before deciding to move to Oregon in 2009 because they weren't happy in Prague.They liked the laid-back ethos in Oregon, they say, and the outdoor recreation the Portland area offers. But they didn't leave their native land behind completely. Vybiralova carried with her a knack for authentic Czech cooking.

The trick to tasty potato salad?

"You have to mix everything by hand," she said. "Even if it takes twice as long. No short cuts."

In addition to her potato salad, she makes egg salad, Brie salad and crab-meat salad. They used to also sell hot dishes – chicken schnitzel, gnocchi with sauerkraut and smoked pork, and Czech cakes –but stopped when it became too tiring.

For $15 an hour, food geeks can use Bohemian Gourmet's vast kitchen for catering services, food carts, farmers markets or other events. Mike Calder, creator of Vollie Austin Toffee, is an inaugural customer. Calder, who knew Vybiralova before she opened the kitchen, said commercial kitchens like Bohemian Gourmet's can save small food companies a lot of money.

"I don't have to make a huge investment up front," he says. "This really allows small guys like me to get on their feet."

Katie Barstow-Cline, a small business owner who designs cakes, also uses the Bohemian Gourmet space. She says she needed a closer space than the commercial kitchens in Portland. She said she would have to lug her ingredients and supplies to downtown spaces and then fight traffic on the way back to Beaverton.

"Good baking doesn't come with stress," she says. "She's got a great facility."

Next up on Vybiralova and Fejfar's agenda is baby number two and a push for wholesale.

"I don't think I have a dream job," Vybiralova says. "I just like to create things with my hands."